Halinda school for specific purposes caters for students with intellectual and physical disabilities.A significant number of students have secondary disabilities such as hearing or visual impairment, conduct disorder, emotional disorder and autistic spectrum disorders Our mission at Halinda School is to provide an environment that empowers and skills students to reach their full potential.
We believe that all students can learn and we are dedicated to equipping and supporting students to make a successful transition into a valued life style within their local community.
Since 2010 we have been running lessons under the SAKG = Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Program
Please view this slide show for a basic intro to this program. Or if you want to see the web site visit http://kitchengardenfoundation.org.au/
Essentially its all about PLEASURABLE FOOD EDUCATION we teach the kids to GROW HARVEST PREPARE SHAREStephanie on The Circle talking about the program
It is easy to integrate the program into every aspect of the curriculum. Once you start to think about it its hard not to see ways the kitchen garden program provides a meaningful context to teach and develop all students intellectually and socially. The Program enhances core subject areas and essential learning, such as:
Personal & Social Development through the development of social-emotional learning skills such as cooperation, communication and negotiation. Students build self-esteem, confidence and a sense of achievement through kitchen and garden activities.
Communication, which is essential to the small-group nature of the Program. Reading and understanding technical instructions, expanding vocabulary and exploring language are weekly occurrences in kitchen and garden classes. Listening, speaking, writing, working in teams, working cooperatively and problem solving are all aspects of the work in the garden and the kitchen.
Health / Wellness & Physical Education by involving every student in physical activity in the garden for at least 45 minutes a week.
Science, Environment & Sustainability through issues such as climate and climate change, water management, plant cycles and plant diversity, soil health and the avoidance of chemicals.
Mathematics skills such as measurement, calculation, estimation and comparison, which have real-life application in the kitchen garden context.
Creative Arts skills, which are demonstrated in the way the students combine ingredients into the beautiful food they produce. There are also many opportunities to incorporate art, poetry, creative writing, illustration and film-making.
Questions of design and technology become evident in the decisions made in the garden each week. Students acquire many strategies for thinking, related to investigation, enquiring, processing information, problem solving, using reason, evaluation and reflection.
Society and Environment: Thoughtful discussion takes place about the geographic origins of dishes and plants. Relationships between the garden and the kitchen are discussed, involving concepts such as seasonality, ripeness and cultural connections.
More than ever, our future is dependent on building mutually responsible and sustainable patterns of living. The Kitchen Garden Program supports students to develop the capacities to manage themselves, to build good relationships with others, and to make sense of the world in which they live and participate. Most importantly, the pleasure gained from growing, harvesting, preparing and sharing will be a lifelong pleasure, and will affect how our children live as individuals, and as members of local and global communities.
How does the program look for our school? The mind map
garden_mind_map.jpg
Due to time restrictions and varied abilities and supervision required most cooking sessions involve the preparation of only one dish instead of a full menu as the program advocates.
Dishes chosen reflect the produce fresh from the garden. Seasonality!
Students are encouraged to try the food around a shared table they have prepared. Some students may not eat around a shared table at home. It is explicitly taught.
Garden lessons focus on the building of the garden and associated tasks. Planting and simple garden principles are addressed. Some basic experiments have proved to be a hit with many of the students.
Due to the unpredictability of the weather, what has changed in the garden and students needs, lessons have to be flexible, quickly changing from one idea to another. Planning needs to involve a multitude of options that can be put into action as the conditions are meet.
A report into the effectiveness of the SAKG program has been released., it can be downloaded here It is an interesting read although quite long.The program has a lot to offer all of our students. We have the opportunity to learn for ourselves the pleasure of the simple things in life and share these experiences with the students. Its no more complicated than "grow harvest prepare and share". At first this seems so very daunting for those with little experience with gardening. Once the basics are understood the rest will come with experience and trial and error. gardening increases learning!!!!
Here are some other research papers on kitchen gardening in schools
If you would like to know about the history of school gardens visit http://www.organicschools.com.au/school-gardens/history-of-school-gardens/
School gardens existed in parts of Europe as early as 1811 and were referred to as early as the 16th century in a quote by philosopher and educational reformer John Amos Comenius who said, “A school garden should be connected with every school where children can have opportunities for leisurely gazing upon trees, flowers and herbs and are taught to enjoy them.”
Halinda school for specific purposes caters for students with intellectual and physical disabilities.A significant number of students have secondary disabilities such as hearing or visual impairment, conduct disorder, emotional disorder and autistic spectrum disorders Our mission at Halinda School is to provide an environment that empowers and skills students to reach their full potential.
We believe that all students can learn and we are dedicated to equipping and supporting students to make a successful transition into a valued life style within their local community.
Since 2010 we have been running lessons under the SAKG = Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Program
Please view this slide show for a basic intro to this program. Or if you want to see the web site visit http://kitchengardenfoundation.org.au/
Essentially its all about PLEASURABLE FOOD EDUCATION we teach the kids to GROW HARVEST PREPARE SHAREStephanie on The Circle talking about the program
It is easy to integrate the program into every aspect of the curriculum. Once you start to think about it its hard not to see ways the kitchen garden program provides a meaningful context to teach and develop all students intellectually and socially. The Program enhances core subject areas and essential learning, such as:
More than ever, our future is dependent on building mutually responsible and sustainable patterns of living. The Kitchen Garden Program supports students to develop the capacities to manage themselves, to build good relationships with others, and to make sense of the world in which they live and participate. Most importantly, the pleasure gained from growing, harvesting, preparing and sharing will be a lifelong pleasure, and will affect how our children live as individuals, and as members of local and global communities.
How does the program look for our school? The mind map
A report into the effectiveness of the SAKG program has been released., it can be downloaded here It is an interesting read although quite long.The program has a lot to offer all of our students. We have the opportunity to learn for ourselves the pleasure of the simple things in life and share these experiences with the students. Its no more complicated than "grow harvest prepare and share". At first this seems so very daunting for those with little experience with gardening. Once the basics are understood the rest will come with experience and trial and error. gardening increases learning!!!!
Here are some other research papers on kitchen gardening in schools
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You can contact me at brook.polidano@gmail.com
If you would like to know about the history of school gardens visit
http://www.organicschools.com.au/school-gardens/history-of-school-gardens/
School gardens existed in parts of Europe as early as 1811 and were referred to as early as the 16th century in a quote by philosopher and educational reformer John Amos Comenius who said, “A school garden should be connected with every school where children can have opportunities for leisurely gazing upon trees, flowers and herbs and are taught to enjoy them.”